Golf - Public Course · 18 Holes · Par 72
Allen
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The Courses at Watters Creek Traditions Course Review
The Courses at Watters Creek, formally known as Chase Oaks, is owned and managed by the City of Allen and is home to the championship 18 hole Traditions Course, the 9 hole Players Course, and the 6 hole Futures Course. Starting in 2011 and continuing until mid 2014, over $9 million was spend on renovations to Watters Creek. The Players Course, which has six par 3’s and 3 par 4’s was redesigned and softened up - and all of the forced carries were removed. The Futures Course was designed and built for up and coming young future pros as well as golfers who want to practice their short game – the holes range from 40 to 100 yards. The renovation also included adding a fantastic lighted state of the art practice area, buying new golf carts, expanding the bar and grill and menu, and more.
The Traditions Course was completely redesigned and renovated by D. A. Weibring and opened for play in late 2012. Some of what was accomplished during the redesign included: new irrigation systems, new cart paths, moving a lot of dirt to create new holes and reshaping some old ones, redoing all the bunkers and adding soft fluffy white sand, dredging and reshaping the nine lakes and adding a picturesque waterfall, removing as well as adding a lot of trees and trimming the underbrush, and adding new tee boxes and lengthening the course by 400 yards.
Wow, what an impressive renovation on Traditions! We loved the original Chase Oaks and were concerned that the redesign would soften the course too much and get rid of a lot of the character and fun holes - but D A Weibring did a superb job of making the course more playable but still fun, challenging, and loaded with character. And they kept the rates reasonable.
If you liked Chase Oaks, but found it a little too tough, you’ll love the new Traditions at The Courses at Watters Creek! The course may be one stroke easier but with the extra 400 yards (from the tips it's 7015 yards) it's still challenging - so make sure you pick a yardage that suites your game from one of the 5 tee boxes and don't bite off more than you can chew.
The new front nine at the Traditions covers a lot of the terrain from the old back nine and has several fun and memorable holes:
The back nine of the Traditions Course plays where a lot of the old front nine used to be and some of the holes will seem familiar. The new back is much more open and forgiving than the front. We liked:
The fairways at Watters Creek have matured nicely and when we played in February 2015 they were in excellent condition. As was the rough which was very playable. Most of the fairways are ample and you can pull out the big dog and let-er-rip. The fairways are tree lined and the creek will come into play on several holes and can cause some real problems. On a couple holes there are some nice homes that can come into play.
The greens are large with gentle slope and undulation. They were in excellent condition when we played - ran fast at around 11, were soft, and true. They are raised, most are guarded with some combination of swales, bunkers, or mounds - and there is lots of run off around the edges.
The bunkers at The Courses at Watters Creek were perfect - thick, soft fluffy white sand, manageable lips, and a joy to play out of.
Bottom line - the redesign made the course more playable but still demanding and memorable.
Tee Box | Yardage | Rating | Slope |
---|---|---|---|
Black | 7,015 | 74.4 | 136 |
Blue | 6,212 | 70.0 | 126 |
White | 5,636 | 67.7 | 115 |
Gold | 6,626 | 72.4 | 131 |
Red | 4,979 | 64.8 | 111 |
Approximate Weekend
Rates: $36.00 to $56.00
Service is good, the facilities are great, and the pro shop is well stocked. The practice facilities are excellent and offer something for each part of your game. The grill has a bar and serves a variety of some good food.
Here's How Texas Outside Determines the Scorecard RatingThe Texas Outside rating scale ranges from 1 to 10 – a perfect 10 course would be something like this: links along a cliff overlooking the Pacific ocean and bordered by tall trees; lush fairways on rolling hills with lots of natural hazards; water (which is crystal clear) on most of the holes; immaculate greens (but they are undulating and tough); lots of variety and character (each hole is completely different and includes blind shots, elevation changes, doglegs, and significant challenges); perfectly manicured traps with the whitest and prettiest sand you’ve ever seen; a nice club house with great food and a 19th hole; a GPS; plenty of beverage carts or your own cooler and ice; and it only costs $40 bucks! What this means is that you probably won’t find any 10s in Texas – try Cabo San Lucas, Pebble Beach, or some of the Hawaii courses!
All of the above determines the overall score for the golf course. In other words, we like courses that are pretty, fun, very challenging with a lot of variety, and fairways and greens in excellent condition – all for $40. We also tend to play the courses that are affordable for the masses, which means in the $30 to $80 range. We rate hard and we haven’t found a 10 in Texas yet – don’t worry we haven’t given up and we’re still looking.
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